Hi Everyone!

Just a quick reminder about the Oakland Indie Awards. The party is this Friday, May 2nd at Sweet’s Ballroom. We received over 300 nominations and our distinguished judging panel narrowed it down to 21 finalists. Winners will be announced at the event—come help us celebrate! You’ll get to taste Oakland wine, beer, chocolates, teas, gluten-free baked goods, Laotian treats, cajun bites, organic nut butters and so much more! Talk to hundreds of other Oakland lovers, and chill to Oakland tunes.

Walk, bike or BART to the event and get $5 off the Grass Routes Eco-Travel Guide to Oakland or the EcoMetro local green coupon book.

Party Details

May 2, 2008
5:30pm
Historic Sweet’s Ballroom
$20 online or at the door
Register together with a friend and get a 10% discount
Sponsorships for starving artists, entrepreneurs and others for whom ticket price is a barrier. Contact us for details. 1933 Broadway
Downtown Oakland
BART and Bus accessible

5:30 - 8:00 - Awards Party
Delicious Oakland Food, Wine, Beer and Tea
Awards Announcement
DJ Mama L spinning all-Oakland tunes
Displays from Oakland Unwrapped! vendor artists and businesses

8:00 - Afterparty
Enjoy live music from BCO Band
Cash Bar
Visit the Art Galleries open during Art Murmur’s First Fridays

Get all the party details, register, and see photos from last year’s party at http://oaklandunwrapped.org/indies

Want to get involved?
- Be a food or drink vendor
- Sponsor the event
- Offer raffle prizes
- Volunteer
- Spread the word to your list-serves, blogs, and anywhere else Oakland-lovers congregate. Thanks!

Contact Andrea or Erin at 510.663.2253 to get involved.

     

Hosted by OneCalifornia Foundation
Sponsors:
	UMI TOCHI

 

 

Want your environmental values to follow you on vacation? Local travel writer and entrepreneur Serena Bartlett, author of Oakland: the Soul of the City, will share tips on low-impact travel and ways to support the communities you visit.  Wed., December 12, 2007. 6 - 7:30 p.m. Oakland Public Library, Main Branch. 125 – 14th Street. 1st Floor. AMHL Reading Room.

There’s an unbelievable amount of fun stuff planned for you and your kids at this year’s Montclair Village Holiday Stroll. Ice skating, REAL SNOW, wagon rides, crafts, singing, TAP DANCING TREES, cookies, wine, cheese, discounts and more! This is truly a winter wonderland! Thursday, Dec. 6. 6-9 pm - Montclair

Join us and NovoMetro at Esteban Sabar Gallery for a community holiday shopping party on Friday. In conjunction with the First Fridays Oakland Art Murmur, NovoMetro will be launching their new print magazine: Oakbook, and Oakland Unwrapped! vendors will be selling their products in the flesh!

Products include Oakland books and t-shirts, jewelry, cards, artwork, housewares, and more. So come on out, check out the art, pickup a NovoMetro OakBook, drink some Lost Canyon wine, and see some great Oakland-made goods! For more info about this event, check out the chatter on Yelp! This Friday, December 7 from 7-10 pm. Outside next to 480 23rd Street (at Telegraph Ave.)

Feed your soul while shopping local at the Dimond winter festival this Saturday. Spiritual leaders will share words and music to celebrate diversity. Enjoy choirs, pancake breakfasts, photos with Santa, and holiday crafts and gifts from local vendors. Suggested donation $5 or canned goods for the needy. 10 am - 3pm. Fruitvale Presbyterian Church. 2735 MacArthur Blvd. at Coolidge Ave.

This is the 22nd year for the Holiday, Kwanzaa & Christmas Gift show, presented by the African-American Business Exchange. Come celebrate family and community while finding unique gifts sold by African American and other vendors! $5 Admission. Dec. 8th and 9th. 11am - 8pm. Oakland Marriott Convention Center, 10th & Broadway. www.kwanzaagiftshow.com

Oakland Unwrapped! is thrilled to be hosting the 2nd Annual Oakland Indie Awards, which will celebrate Oakland’s socially and environmentally-responsible independent businesses and artists. We had so much fun with you last year and we can’t wait to do it again on May 2, 2008.

If all goes as planned, we will be hosting the Indie Awards at the new Awaken Café. Awaken Café is a coffee and tea house, community center, and art gallery that’s just about to open in downtown Oakland (where the Golden Bull was). After dark, it will be a beer and wine bar which with cutting edge music and live performances. Sustainably renovated, and community-planned, this Café is going to be an amazing addition to downtown. Check out their site to be an early investor – and get paid back in coffee!

Newbie Indie Award Winner Swarm Gallery and Studios is co-hosting the 2nd Annual Taste for Art event with Pro Arts Gallery. The event is to toast the annual East Bay Express Taste Dining Guide, and includes signature savories and sweets from the best East Bay restaurants as well as fine wines, spirits, and ales. This benefit event features music by DJ Cali of Relevant Sound and art by local talents. Benefits Pro Arts and Swarm Galleries and the Alameda County Food Bank. Thursday, October 18, 7:00pm- 10:00pm. 2nd St, Jack London Square. Tickets $10 at the door without a food donation, and $5 with 2 or more non-perishable food items for the Alameda County Food Bank.

Come discover what vibrant 17th Street has to offer at the Annual SOBO Block Party! This beautiful tree-lined street in downtown Oakland offers an eclectic shopping and dining experience with everything from fine food and expert hair designers to one-of-a-kind clothes and custom jewelry. This event has something for the wholefamily with face painting, clowns, jugglers and more. 10:00 a.m. to 6pm, 17th Street between Franklin and Webster streets, Free Admission. For More Information call (510)893-2323. http://soboshops.com/

The 2nd Annual Laurel World Music Festival celebrates the diversity, culture & spirit
that Oakland has to offer and has become a popular and highly anticipated event, drawing a diverse group of individuals from all over Oakland and the Greater Bay Area. The Laurel District Association, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit business improvement district, is proud to host the Laurel World Music
Festival, one of the fastest growing high quality outdoor events in the Bay Area. Located along MacArthur Blvd between 35th Avenue and High Street, the Laurel District truly is the heart of
Oakland. August 11, 2007, Noon to 6:00PM, http://www.laureldistrictassociation.org

The NITE SOUK promises to be a magical and eclectic event bringing
together culture, street performers, and exotic foods. Inspired by night markets around the world, the bazaar will celebrate the community and embrace night-time in Oakland. There’s no need to travel across the globe to see and experience this popular phenomenon, it’s happening right here in Oakland.

Activities will be available for all ages, including: Henna Body Art, Oakland Wish Tree, Tarot Readings, Dance & Music, Comedy Circus, Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema, Neighborhood Restaurants. Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007, 6pm-11pm, Old Oakland (Washington St. near 9th), http://novometro.com/nitesouk/

Art and Soul, Oakland’s premiere annual festival is making its Oakland’s Own Expo even bigger this year! Oakland Unwrapped! will join some of Oakland’s favorite food producers and organizations to celebrate the amazing things that Oaklanders produce. Come visit us at the lovely expo area near the Federal building, and enjoy wine, chocolate, tea, organic foods, and great music! September 1, 2 & 3, 2007, 11am-6pm, $10 at door; $5 Youth 13-18; 12 & under free. Learn more about the Art and Soul Festival and the Oakland’s Own Festival at http://www.artandsouloakland.com.

Featuring live jazz with Bobby Hutcherson, Sonando Project, Slammin All-Body Band, Fasmania Big Band, Monk’s Music. Wine tasting in the wine village 12-5pm. Artisan lane with local artisans, Kid’s Town, Wellness Village, and more!
Sunday, Sept. 16, 11-6, www.montclairjazzandwine.org

Hi Everyone,

It was lovely to see most of you at the Indie Awards. I hope you had as much fun as I did. I’d like to take a moment to congratulate our 2007 winners and thank everyone who made the evening a smashing success! I’d also like to remind you to shop at our new (and growing!) Online Marketplace.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2007 WINNERS!
These 23 inspiring businesses and artists truly make Oakland a better place. Their work reminds us why supporting local business is good for the community. Please take a moment to learn more about them here.

THANKS!
I also want to thank all of the generous people who contributed to the event, including our sponsors, food and drink donors, raffle prize donors, and volunteers.

PHOTOS, VIDEOS AND MORE!
Check out our event photos, Indie vs. Big Box videos, and much more at: http://www.oaklandunwrapped.org/indies

I look forward to receiving your nominations and seeing your smiling faces again next year.

Warm Regards,

Erin

Erin Kilmer Neel
Executive Director
Oakland Unwrapped!

Thanks to the Ronn Guidi Foundation for the Performing Arts and Chevron corporation, you can see the Nutcracker again this year — its 34th season — at the Paramount Theatre. The performance will include members of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, led by conductor Michael Morgan. Delight your friends and family by taking them to experience this timeless classic in our beautiful Oakland theatre. Fri, Dec 22 at 8pm, Sat, Dec 23 at 2 & 8 pm, Sun. Dec 24 at 11am. Tickets range from $15 - $50, and are available by calling the Paramount (510) 625-8497 and via Ticketmaster at 510-465-6400 or www.ticketmaster.com.

There are three great gift shows this weekend featuring independent artists and designers! Click the links below for more information about each event.

1) afterglow boutique, in Temescal, will host a dozen designers on Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 7. Oakland Unwrapped! will be there all day on Sunday.

2) I {heart} Independent is hosting its first gift sale at Pro Arts in Jack London Square on Saturday from 11 to 4. Unwrapped will be here on Saturday.
3) Montclair Artists Group’s holiday art sale is Saturday and Sunday from 11-4.

Also see our complete printable list of Oakland holiday gift events this month.

Come check out the fabulous and creative clothing, jewelry, bags and accessories by local Oakland designers at *afterglow* in Temescal on December 9th and 10th!

afterglow is a boutique, design studio, and gallery owned and operated by Amy Cools, whose own funky and fresh fashions are sweatshop-free and made in Oakland. The designers featured at afterglow and at the Oakland Independent Designer Holiday Show share Cools’ commitment to promoting quality, creativity and independence in clothing design.

4233 Telegraph Ave., Sat. & Sun. Dec 9th & 10th, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, (510) 654-7514, amy@acclothingandbags.com
www.acclothingandbags.com

i {heart} independent is a unique shopping event open to the public. Local artists and designers showcase one-of-a-kind apparel, accessories, jewelry, handbags, stationery and more at discount prices. Come shop and enjoy a fabulous time at this premiere Bay Area event!

Pro Arts Gallery www.proartsgallery.org, 550 Second Street @ Jack London Square, Sat. Dec 9, 11-4 pm, Free admission, credit cards accepted. Support independent – buy local!

Holiday Art Sale by Montclair Artists Group at Montclair Elementary School Auditorium, 1757 Mountain Blvd.; Dec 9 & 10; 11 am - 4 pm.

Second Annual Holiday Open House Stroll. Displays, Holiday Wrap, Santa, Music, Treats, Friends. Presented by the Temescal Merchants & Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District. December 7th from 5pm-7pm. On Telegraph Ave. from 46th to 51st. http://www.temescalmerchants.com

Ice skating rink (10 and under), Street Entertainment, Wagon & Motorized Cable Car Rides, Store Sales and Receptions. December 7th; From 6 pm - 9 pm; www.montclairvillage.com

Holiday Gifts from Local Artists & Merchants * Craft-Making for Kids * Free Photos With Santa * Pancake Breakfast * Native American Jewelry* Christmas, Kwanzaa & Hanukkah Activities Saturday, December 9th, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, 2735 MacArthur Blvd. at Coolidge Ave. $5.00 donation or canned food donation appreciated. http://www.shopdimond.com